Blame It On Adrenaline
by EbilMe666
Summary: - Sanji really didn't know why he'd kissed him. He knew that it had to be, at least in part, because of post fight adrenaline but that couldn't have been all of it. He'd have to have wanted to kiss the marimo right? And wasn't that a scary thought. - Rated T for language. Also on AO3.


_Okay, so I've already posted this on AO3 and the response I got there made me confident enough to post it here too.. So here you go..._

* * *

It had started with a kick to his chest, forceful enough that he stumbled backwards from the impact but not enough that he flew across the ship with broken ribs. They were bruised for sure but not broken. He'd retaliated with a swing of a katana, Shusui, that was blocked by the same shoe that had kicked him, he'd expected the cook to block it though and he quickly brought Kitetsu around the other side. The cook had noticed though and before the sword could make contact, he'd dropped to the ground. Zoro felt, more than heard, the growl rise in his throat, his teeth clenching tighter around Wado's hilt. He dodged the cook's leg that swiped out, trying to make him lose his footing. The cook straightened up, glowering at Zoro, before kicking at him again, this time it was blocked by the blunt sides of both handheld katana. Before he knew it, they were a whirlwind of metal blades and leather shoes.

Zoro couldn't even remember what had set the cook off this time. It was probably something he said. It was always something he said, or did, or both. More often than not though, it was also on purpose. Being out at sea for so long without a way to vent his energy, without a fight, would make him stir crazy, he knew it was the same for the cook too.

They both stood there, taking laboured breaths. And fuck, Zoro loved that he and the cook were able to spar with each other like this. He loved that the cook could take whatever he dished out, and vice versa. The look on the cook's face was strange though, it was like he was lost in thought. And then, something Zoro had never in a million years expected to happen, the cook kissed him.

So, it started with a kick that bruised his bones and ended with a kiss that made his heart flutter.

Zoro realised too late that he was frozen, and by then the cook seemed to realise what he was doing, pulling back and letting that curtain of blond hair cover his face, possibly in a vain attempt to make it so Zoro couldn't see the blush spreading across his cheeks. Then, while Zoro was still frozen, the cook turned and ran.

Fuck.

* * *

Shit.

Sanji had fucking kissed him. Why the fuck had Sanji kissed him?! Fuck!

The chef was pacing, a cigarette in his mouth. He took several deep breaths, relaxing slightly each time his mouth filled with tobacco flavoured and nicotine filled smoke. He was by no means calm but he was definitely calmer than he had been when he'd burst into the kitchen.

Okay, he and Zoro had been on deck but towards the back and Sanji was fairly sure that nobody else had seen _it_. Nami was in the map room and Robin was in the library, Sanji had a habit of trying to make sure he knew where the girls were in case he wanted to bring them a drink or snack. He was pretty sure that their captain, Usopp and Chopper were at the front of the ship and up to no good but caught up in their own little world. Franky was probably in the workshop and Sanji had no idea where Brook was but he hadn't seen the skeleton on deck so that had to be a good sign right? Fuck if he knew.

So, the fact that he'd kissed their first mate was hopefully just between himself and the swordsman.

Sanji really didn't know why he'd kissed him. He knew that it had to be, at least in part, because of post fight adrenaline but that couldn't have been all of it. He'd have to have wanted to kiss the marimo right? And wasn't that a scary thought.

Sanji took the cigarette butt out of his mouth, breathing out a long plume of smoke as he did. He walked swiftly over to the counter, where an ashtray was before snuffing out the spent stick and lighting a new one. He noticed with annoyance that he'd left a small trail of ash where he'd been pacing. He'd clear that up later, after he'd figured out what the fuck was going on in his mind.

Fuck. Alright. So, hypothetically, Sanji wanted to kiss Zoro. Why? Because it had been a long time since he'd had _that_ kind of contact? But then why would it be Zoro he wanted to kiss, why not one of the girls? He knew he'd sooner kiss one of the girls.

He took a long drag of his cigarette.

Not because of the contact then. Then why? Because Zoro was hot? Because, yeah, Sanji could admit that he was. Especially when he'd just fought, with sweat glistening over his face and muscles and- No. Sanji forced himself to stop that particular train of thought. Okay, so Sanji found him hot, but was that reason enough for him to kiss Zoro, of all people?

Did he- Did he actually like the marimo? Fuck he hoped not. Strangely, it wasn't the fact that Zoro was a man that he was stuck on. No, he was weirdly okay with that, it was that Zoro was… Zoro. He was brutish and uncouth, he lacked any semblance of manners and was exactly the opposite of what Sanji liked.

Except.. Zoro was nakama. He was loyal and passionate and strong. Zoro was everything that Sanji didn't know he wanted. The marimo could hold his own in a fight and Sanji could actually fight him, without chivalry getting in the way. They could throw insults back and forth because both of them knew they didn't really mean it. They trusted each other and rivaled each other. They each made the other want to become stronger. While Zoro was brute strength, Sanji had finesse. Where Zoro was rude, Sanji was polite. As much as the chef hated to admit it, they complimented each other perfectly.

It was with a calm certainty that Sanji came to the realisation that he was in love with the shitty swordsman - probably had been for quite some time. The next breath he took was shaky, filled with the chef's fear, his trepidation.

Because, as much as Sanji liked to pretend with the girls, he knew that two members of the same crew could never become involved. Especially when one of them was as emotionally stunted as Zoro. But, the Straw Hats weren't just any crew and their captain was far from traditional. Knowing Luffy, he'd let them do whatever they wanted so long as they were both safe and happy.

Sanji felt a tendril of hope rise in his chest that was immediately squashed when he remembered how Zoro had reacted when he'd kissed him. The swordsman hadn't kissed back, he'd just stood there. Fuck. Sanji was such a fucking idiot. There was no way that someone like Zoro would ever go for him.

* * *

Zoro stood there for a moment, leaning against the door frame of the galley. The cook wasn't facing him, he didn't even seem to notice he was there. Zoro could tell, from the tenseness in his back, that he was stressed. A wisp of smoke further reinforced that assumption.

"Oi, Cook," he said from where he stood, not wanting to intrude on what everyone knew was the cook's space, not when he was so obviously stressed.

The cook tensed more upon hearing his voice but then that familiar mask of neutrality took over when he turned to face Zoro, and the swordsman hated that. He hated how the cook never seemed to really be himself. How he knew the man didn't smile often, not genuinely at least.

"What do you want?" The cook asked, and it seemed like he just wanted to forget all about the fact that he'd kissed him. Zoro couldn't accept that.

"Not even gonna talk about the fact you kissed me then, Curly brow?" Zoro asked with a grumble.

"Sounds about right Marimo," the cook said, his tone defensive.

"Why?" Zoro wasn't sure if he was asking why the cook was being defensive when he was the one who kissed him, or if he was asking why he didn't want to talk about it. He doubted that it mattered much.

The cook took a long drag of his cigarette, that Zoro noted was almost finished, before he answered. "It was nothing," the cook said and Zoro was sure he was lying. He hoped he was lying. "Just the post fight adrenaline rush, it didn't mean anything."

Zoro was quiet. He wasn't good with emotions, he knew that, hell, everyone knew that. But he knew that that was what the cook needed. He needed Zoro to show him that it was okay but Zoro had no fucking idea how to do that. And fuck, what if Zoro was misreading the situation and he wasn't lying, what if it _had_ meant nothing to the blond?

This was why Zoro didn't like confronting emotions, he reasoned, he didn't like that there was the possibility of getting hurt. That if he opened himself up to the cook that he'd be able to tear him down with just words. But no, Zoro could do this. The cook needed him to do this.

When Zoro spoke, it was slow, serious, and he hoped that the cook picked up on that. His heart felt like it was beating at a million times its normal rate an it scared him that the cook could put him in that state. "What if…" he started, but cut himself of, not sure how to word what he wanted to say. He sighed deeply before he looked the cook straight in the eye, since Zoro could only see one, and took a single step towards him.

"What if it meant something to me?" he asked, not daring to step closer but not averting his gaze. No, whatever the cook said, or did, next, he was going to take it without backing down. Because yes, the cook may have made the first move but it was up to Zoro now to see if it went anywhere.

"What do you…" he began before stopping himself, much like Zoro had. But then he changed whatever he was going to say. "Why didn't you kiss back?"

And fuck. The cook looked more vulnerable when he said that then Zoro had ever seen him. He thought carefully about what he was going to say next, because he wasn't going to lie but he knew, he knew that if he wanted this to work then he'd have to pick words out that wouldn't set the blond off.

"I was surprised," he settled on after a moment, and then grumbled, only because they were having this heart to heart, "I wasn't sure if it was real."

"Why wouldn't it be real?" The cook asked. He seemed confused and Zoro found it odd that he was going to have to spell it out for him.

He spoke in a low voice, and it was obvious that he didn't want to say it, but he did, "because I've been dreaming it for a long time."

The cook's mouth fell to an O shape, though he didn't speak. He closed it a moment later, before taking the butt of his cigarette out of his mouth and crushing it in an ashtray on the counter behind him.

"What now?" The cook asked after another moment.

Zoro furrowed his brow for a moment in thought. "That depends on if it really meant nothing to you," he said finally.

"Of course it didn't shitty Marimo," the cook said and Zoro couldn't help it when he felt the smile tug at his lips. He knew that he had to look like an idiot but he found he didn't care.

Zoro stepped forwards again. "Then we do it some more," he said, his smile now a full blown grin and he knew it.

The cook seemed to ponder that for a moment before he also took a step forwards, "alright," he said softly, a blush playing on his cheeks as he wore a grin that surely matched Zoro's.

Zoro placed a hand on the cook's cheek, softly cupping it, as he took the final step. His eyes closing as his lips met Sanji's in a slow, almost tender, kiss.

* * *

 _And there you have my first ever One Piece, and by extension Zosan, fanfic._

 _I honestly don't even know how I started shipping these two, just one day I was watching it and I realised I did. Hell, I haven't even finished Thriller Bark yet._

 _Anyway, this can be set pretty much any time after Thriller Bark I guess since Shusui and Brook are mentioned so.. yeah... I hope you guys liked it and I wasn't too OOC.._

 _Ebil._


End file.
